SÄLEN The landscapes in Sälen are like from a postcard, after all, we are now in the middle of winter in the Swedish fells, close to the Norwegian border.
Inside the seminars, the atmosphere is focused and serious, and the messages about the war in Ukraine paint anything but a pretty picture.
In the following, my most important points about the beginnings of the three-day seminar and their endings.
1. Finland is a good model
Finland is now a model country for Sweden in almost every matter. The new prime minister by Ulf Kristersson in Sunday’s show, there were a lot of references to Finland. Kristersson recalled his conversations with the president Sauli Niinistön with in Tamminiemi just on the eve of the Russian invasion.
Kristersson said that Sweden, as a NATO member, treats nuclear weapons on its soil just like Finland. Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (green) said in his speech on Sunday that Finland does not have preconditions for NATO membership, but Finland also has no intentions to take nuclear weapons on its soil as a NATO member.
On Kristersson’s Finland list, the object of admiration was also Finland’s security of supply, i.e. society’s preparedness for crises or war.
2. The most anticipated speaker was the NATO commander
The most anticipated speaker at this year’s fell seminar was clearly the NATO European Commander Christopher G. Cavoli, an American who has lived in Europe since childhood. In addition, the background of the current general is training as a biologist, but also assignments in Afghanistan and Africa.
Cavoli warmly welcomed Sweden to NATO, but immediately reminded that Russia’s attack on Ukraine will drastically change NATO. Power is no longer flaunted by presenting the potential destructive power of one’s own side, but it can be forced to use it. If the opponent uses tanks, it’s good to have them too. The war in Ukraine has shown that there is a lot of need for weapons and armaments.
Cavoli’s message on defense spending was militarily clear. According to him, NATO’s current requirement for member states, according to which defense spending must be two percent of GDP annually, will be the minimum in the future. So you have to be ready to put more money.
3. Hardly anything would change by changing Putin
If Cavoli’s initiation was expected, so was the research director by Gudrun Perssonwho works at the Swedish National Defense Research Institute (FOI).
He has accumulated his knowledge of Russia for decades. In last year’s seminar, Persson had been able to foresee Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
On Sunday, Persson seemed to have an arranged meeting with, for example, Foreign Minister Haavisto.
Persson had given the title of his presentation the question of whether peaceful coexistence between Russia and Europe is possible.
Persson replied to the unit that no, and was already going to collect his papers, but continued with his introduction.
Persson’s core message was that the war in Ukraine can continue for a long time. In general, in everything related to Russia, the time perspective must be long, generations, even hundreds of years.
According to Persson, it is also clear that the war in Ukraine would not end or something in Russian politics would change even if the president Vladimir Putin would be replaced by someone else**.**
4. Big turmoil in Sweden’s defense
Sweden has changed drastically in a year. The country managed to stay out of wars for 200 years. Last spring, the decision to join NATO was made quickly.
The strengthening of the defense forces had already started in 2015, but last spring the government decided on major investments, which can only be compared in the 1950s.
In recent years, the share of defense spending in Sweden’s GDP has been around 1.2%, last year 1.2%. Now the aim is to reach the goal of two percent in just a few years.
Prime Minister Kristersson listed a long list of strengths of Sweden applying for NATO membership, one of which is the defense industry.
In NATO, according to the prime minister, Sweden participates in everything that is required, but he mentioned Baltic air control and control of the Baltic Sea quite separately.
The biggest and perhaps the most challenging is considered to be the spiritual and cultural change from NATO’s partner to a full member.
5. Sweden, Finland and NATO’s nuclear weapons
Sweden’s NATO membership application required a policy change by the ruling party, the Social Democrats. That changed, but in the spring the then prime minister Magdalena Andersson made it clear that Sweden does not accept nuclear weapons or permanent NATO forces on its soil.
Now it has turned out afterwards that neither Sweden nor Finland have any preconditions.
In Sälen, the impression was created that Finland is now the creator of the line, which is based on the fact that nuclear weapons will not enter Finnish soil.
The matter was clarified by the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg interview in Dagens Nyheter. According to Stoltenberg, NATO cannot force nuclear weapons on member countries if the country does not want them.
6. Royals in the front seat and on the tracks
In Sweden, the last few weeks have surprised the king Karle XVI Gustav interview statement that the crown should be inherited by his son and not the eldest daughter, the crown princess For Victoria. The king justifies his position with the fact that the law change only entered into force when the prince Carl Philip had already been born, i.e. the prince was the crown prince for the first months of his life.
The king’s thoughts have mostly been knocked out.
Sälen’s seminar was the first that the king, queen attended Silvia and the Crown Princess attended after the commotion. There was no apparent indignation. Father and daughter also went skiing together.
7. Haavisto does not open up about his presidential intentions
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto’s speech was referred to several times during the seminar.
But for us Finns, Haavisto is also the clear number one in ‘s presidential poll.
Haavisto does not agree to say anything about his own intentions yet. Only that he plans to watch one election at a time, i.e. first the parliamentary elections in early April.
A clear no was not heard in Sälen, but according to Haavisto, taking a position on the matter is not timely.
8. Morning days reserved for skiing
Sälen’s security policy seminar has a long tradition, as it was organized for the first time already in 1946. The background association was registered in 1940, during the war. The initiators of the initiative were the parties’ youth organizations and labor market organizations.
The seminar will be held in Taalainmaa in the same scenery where the Vasaloppet is skied.
Thus, as a first-timer, attention is drawn to the fact that the seminar day always starts at 12:30 and continues until seven or eight in the evening.
Free mornings are designed for skiing, downhill skiing or other outdoor activities.